Everything but the Groom
by blue artemis
Summary: Luna plans her wedding.


The garden was ready, she had her dress, the food would be perfect, she had enough chairs, she was quite certain she had everything well in hand.

"Luna."

Luna was humming while she was adding decorations to the chairs.

"Luna."

She made sure the flower petals strewn along the path were in perfect order.

"LUNA!"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Luna, I love you. You know that. You are the only person that Severus won't hex on the sly when you come over to visit. So, I will only ask you this once. Who is the groom?"

"You know, I'm not certain. All I know is that he will show up when everything is ready. Which will be tomorrow afternoon."

Hermione wanted to cry. I She had no idea how she was going to explain this to Severus. She turned on the spot and Disapparated to Malfoy Manor, where Severus had taken some morning sickness relieving potion to Ginny Malfoy.

She arrived at the front door, looking a bit more frazzled than usual.

"So, pet, what is going on?" Draco asked the woman he considered his best friend.

"Luna is serious. She has everything ready, including a wedding cake made by fairies."

Ginny interjected, "Really? A true fairy cake? That is very good luck."

"Ginny," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "how can you even think there will be any luck associated with this. There is NO GROOM!"

Severus strode over and put his arms around his emotionally volatile wife. "Dearest, that may not be good for the baby. Miss Lovegood has the strange ability to pull luck from the air. She has Seer blood, or fairy blood, or is descended from Nargles; no one knows. Did you ask her why she was setting up her wedding for tomorrow?"

"She said that her groom would show up when everything was ready, which would be tomorrow afternoon."

"Then tomorrow we shall all be there to support her and to see who her groom is. Because I will not allow my rescuer to be mistreated."

Hermione turned her face up to her husband and nodded. She knew how fond he was of the girl who refused to listen to anyone and went to the Shrieking Shack to save the Headmaster. When asked why, she replied that she was only doing what was right, and that the Dancing Moonlacers had told her that the Headmaster was still alive. She not only got him to treatment, she defended him with her wand when necessary. Only after Harry ran into St. Mungo's and hugged Luna and thanked her for saving Severus did anyone take her seriously.

"Do you think Harry will come?" Draco asked. He called him Harry ever since the package arrived from Borneo, with Draco's wand and a whole set of letters and a journal. They corresponded occasionally.

"I don't know, Draco. I hope so. If he and Viktor can get themselves away from wherever they are. Harry and Luna have always had a bit of a connection. Maybe he can pick up the pieces when no groom shows up."

"Don't be such a pessimist, Hermione. Luna isn't worried, right? Then we shouldn't be, either." The other three smiled at Ginny's homey wisdom and decided to prepare themselves mentally for whatever might happen.

The next afternoon, everything was perfect. The weather was lovely, sunny but not too hot, with a light breeze. The gazebo was beautiful, with live vines trailing up over it, flowers in bloom, and fairies flitting in and out. The bride walked out of her house, in a stunning dress of ivory lace over a peach satin, her hair down with a crown of flowers that matched the gazebo, and yes, fairies flitting around her head. She looked amazing and ethereal. She looked very much herself.

She reached the end of the aisle smiling peacefully at everyone. She turned and thanked her guests for coming, looked up at the sky and hummed happily to herself. The 'crack' of Apparition startled many of her guests, especially the Malfoys and the Snapes into pulling their wands.

There was more than one tear when the dark-haired man pulled the bride into his arms and kissed her soundly.

The other dark-haired man cleared his throat. "I see ve are jumping the gun as usual."

"C'mon, Vik. I have to kiss my bride."

"Not until you say vows, Harry."

"Fine."

Luna beamed beatifically.

Viktor addressed the guests. "Luna and Harry have asked that I do traditional Bulgarian hand-fasting. It is permanent." He then turned to the two who wished to marry.

"Do you, Luna, accept this man as your husband forever?"

"Yes."

Viktor spoke again, "Do you, Harry, accept this woman as your wife forever?"

"Yes."

He wound a golden cord around their left wrists and tied it tightly. He then tapped it with his wand, splitting it without damaging the knot. It was a neat piece of magic.

"Now, Harry, you may kiss your bride." Viktor's dry delivery of that line made Severus smirk.

"Luna, you knew Harry was going to come back to marry you, didn't you?" Hermione asked.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I was corresponding with both Harry and Viktor. I only knew that my husband would have dark hair and loved to fly. I knew one of them would be willing to marry me, but I didn't know who." Luna spoke earnestly.

"You were taking a chance, Mrs. Potter." Severus spoke gravely.

"Yes, but isn't giving your heart to someone always a chance?" Luna's wise words echoed through the garden, making all those who heard her smile and nod. They then applauded as her husband wrapped his arms around her, waved at his friends and disappeared, almost without a sound.

"Bloody show off!" Draco muttered. "Uncle, I thought you were going to warn off her husband."

"I don't think I will have to, Draco. Harry has always protected those he loved, even with his life." Hermione wrapped her arms around her pensive spouse after he spoke.

"You weren't surprised, were you, Severus?"

"Luna always told me she would have a dark-haired soul-mate. It was why I worried through her dalliance with Rolf Scamander. As for Harry, who other than you and Luna never saw him as the Boy-Who-Lived. It is the best for both of them."

"You know, Severus, I've always thought Luna would have made a brilliant Gryffindor."

"Why do you say that, Hermione?"

"Who else would be brave enough to set up her wedding, and not know who her groom was? She trusted the fates."

"She may do it more openly, love, but don't we all?"

Many thanks to kyria for the beta!

Prompt from kyria: Luna invites everyone to her wedding, but there is no groom. She believes one will show up to marry her at the right time.


End file.
